Digital Economy Bill: Ask the experts

Put your questions about the Digital Economy Bill to a panel of experts from
the Government, the entertainment industry, internet service providers and
consumer champions in our online debate.

The Digital Economy Bill is part of the Government's Digital Britain plansPhoto: PA

By Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor

11:01AM GMT 24 Nov 2009

The Digital Economy Bill, which sets out the Government's plans for safeguarding intellectual property rights and promoting innovation in the internet age, has just been introduced in the House of Lords.

While many of the measures have won wide-ranging, cross-party support, others have attracted significant criticism from industry figures and consumers alike. Plans to cut off the internet connections of illegal file sharers have been met with dismay by some organisations, with internet service providers such as Talk Talk and BT supporting court fines for repeat offenders rather than the termination of connections.

On Thursday, Telegraph.co.uk and Virgin Media are hosting a panel discussion to explore some of the key themes and issues raised by the Digital Economy Bill. Among the experts participating in the live debate will be Ed Vaizey, the shadow minister for culture, and Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of UK Music, which represents the commercial music industry. We'll also be joined by Jill Johnstone, director of Consumer Focus, and Jon James, an executive director at Virgin Media.

This is your chance to put your thoughts and questions about the Bill to the panel. Is cutting off file sharers really the best way to crack down on piracy? Will the proposed broadband tax be enough to finance the roll-out of next-generation broadband to all parts of the UK? Is the PEGI standard the right classification system for video games?

Send us your questions ahead of the live discussion. You can email us at digidebate@telegraph.co.uk, post your question in the comments box below, or send us a tweet on Twitter – please use the hashtag #digidebate.